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Sweetheart Brownies﻿

When Mark and I first started dating I would go over to his place to hang out and would end up staying till all hours of the night. His mom would eventually go to bed (we were teenagers and it was her house, just so you have some context here) and we would stay up watching Saturday Night Live. Once alone he would almost immediately go to the kitchen, grab a box of Ghirardelli brownie mix, and prepare the batter. But here’s the kicker: instead of baking the brownies, he would bring the bowl to the living room with two spoons and we would sit there eating it. It was one of his guiltiest indulgences back then and, since I’m an avid believer that “batter is always better”, something we easily connected over in the early stages of our relationship. Nowadays it makes me a little queezy just thinking about putting away that much batter, but I wouldn’t trade those late nights of overdosing on sugar and falling in love for anything.

Which brings me to this recipe! A modified form of the version I’ve been making my whole life so they’re fudgier, densely packed with Ghirardelli chocolate (an homage to those late nights with Mark), and topped with a gummy heart for the occasion. Just for my sweetheart!

Fun fact: brownies were the first treats I made with my Kitchenaid. It was also the first recipe I memorized enough to make on my mama’s Kitchenaid when I was a teenager. So many feels. Is my emotional life centered around brownies? Maybe.

Fudgey & Chocolatey Brownies

4 oz unsweetened Ghirardelli chocolate

1/2 cup unsalted butter

4 large eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips

gummy hearts

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

*Melt the unsweetened chocolate and the butter together. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and salt with electric mixer.

*Add the sugar and vanilla extract to the egg mixture, beat until combined. Then add the chocolate mixture and combine.

*Slowly add the flour on low speed. Don’t over mix batter or brownies will be tough. Add the bittersweet chips and mix for one second.

*Transfer batter to greased pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes depending on your oven. Remove pan and let brownies cool/congeal. Finally, cut squares and top each with a gummy heart.